Moscow is a city on the rise, architecturally as well as politically. Hotels,
restaurants, nightclubs and shopping arcades are springing up to serve
Russia’s powerful, oil-rich elite – and a growing band of international
tourists.
But the glass and steel, like the wealth of the city’s inhabitants, is
unevenly distributed. Old Moscow, with its elegant Orthodox churches and
stark, Soviet-era concrete blocks, lurks around every corner.
The result is a city of contradictions, as American brands colonise Stalinist
neoclassical shopfronts and gleaming black Mercedes jockey for position with
battered Ladas.
OLD MOSCOW
A century of upheaval has left its mark on the city, but historic Moscow still
offers up some impressive sights, including the fairy-tale splendour of St
Basil’s cathedral, the gold-plated onion domes of the city’s churches and
the architectural variety of the Kremlin - all to be found in the compact
historical centre of the city, close to Red Square and the Moskva River.
Leading north from Red Square is the city’s main shopping street, Tverskaya
Ulitsa, where high-end boutiques and souvenir shops are interspersed with
luxury hotels and restaurants. Nearby is the vast and palatial GUM
department store (Vetoshny Lane), which stretches the length of Red
Square and stocks a huge range of designer clothes, jewellery, watches and
homeware.
Moscow offers culture as well as consumerism. The Tretyakov
Gallery (10 Lavrushinskiy Pereulok) contains Russia’s national
collection of more than 130,000 paintings, drawings and sculptures. The New
Gallery (10 Krymsky Val) houses a selection of 20th-century Russian art,
which provides a fascinating commentary on the politics of the period.
NEW MOSCOW
Drink: the rooftop bar of the Ritz
Carlton hotel (3 Tverskaya), which opened last year, has an unrivalled
view of central Moscow, overlooking Red Square and the Kremlin to the south
and the main shopping thoroughfare immediately below. The spectacular
backdrop – and a tempting cocktail menu – is attracting a healthy share of
Moscow’s growing stream of celebrity visitors.
Eat: Cafe Pushkin, one of Moscow’s best restaurants, attracts
well-healed Muscovites as well as the international set. It opened less than
four years ago, but high ceilings, a resident harpist and row upon row of
leather-bound books provide a setting of pre-revolutionary opulence for an
excellent, Russian-accented menu. Moscow is an expensive city, though, and
the top-quality food on offer here comes at a price. Expect to pay about
£150 for a three-course meal for two, sharing a bottle of wine.
Sleep: the MaMaison Pokrovka
Suite Hotel (40 Pokrovka Street, +7 495 229 57 57) offers a taste of
life as an oligarch. Each suite includes a bedroom, a fully-equipped
kitchenette and a living area with flatscreen TVs, DVD players and
complimentary broadband access. Larger suites include four-poster beds,
whirlpool-style baths and libraries furnished with English and Russian
literature. Junior suites from £470 per night, with discounts for weekend
packages.
NEED TO KNOW
Lastminute.com offers a three-night
break to Moscow, including flights from London, at the MaMaison Pokrovka,
from £557pp, based on two sharing.
Bmi operates daily flights to Moscow
Domodedovo airport from Heathrow from £253 return, including taxes and
charges. Regional connections are also available.
The Metro is not only an efficient and economical way of navigating the city,
but also a destination in its own right. Extravagant stations incorporate
chandeliers, marble columns, mosaics and even stained glass, while trains
run every 45 seconds on weekdays.
